Ben Rothwell gets TRT exemption for UFC 164, Frank Mir also gets TUE

A new fighter has been added to the list of MMA competitors with permission to use testosterone-replacement therapy (TRT).

UFC heavyweight Ben Rothwell applied for and received a therapeutic use exemption in advance of UFC 164, a representative with the Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com).

Although the commission did not reveal if the exemption was for testosterone replacement therapy, sources close to Rothwell told MMAjunkie.com his TUE was for TRT.

Heavyweight Frank Mir also received an exemption for the event, which takes places Aug. 31 at Bradley Center in Milwaukee. The ex-UFC champ previously got permission to use TRT for a fight against then-champ Junior dos Santos at UFC 146. It’s unknown whether he received any additional exemptions in earlier fights.

Rothwell and Mir were unavailable for comment at the time of this writing. Brandon Vera (12-6 MMA, 8-6 UFC), who fights Rothwell (32-9 MMA, 2-3 UFC) on the event’s pay-per-view main card, simply said, “It won’t help.”

Former UFC champ Josh Barnett (32-6 MMA, 4-1 UFC), who fights Mir (16-7 MMA, 14-7 UFC), couldn’t be reached for comment. But his manager, Leland LaBarre, said, “Josh has not requested or will he request any type of exemption whatsoever.”

Rothwell most recently appeared in the octagon at UFC on FX 7, where Gabriel Gonzaga submitted him in the second round. In five appearances with the promotion, he has hopscotched between wins and losses.

Mir most recently fought at UFC on FOX 7, where he lost a unanimous decision to Daniel Cormier in a lackluster affair. It was his second straight defeat, which included a TKO loss to dos Santos at UFC 146.

Initially neutral on TRT use, UFC President Dana White took a hard line against hormone therapy earlier this year, promising to “test the s–t” out of anyone using it and expressing his wish that athletic commissions would ban the treatment.

In June, the California State Athletic Commission put on hold all applications for TRT exemptions. It plans to rewrite its policies to make the approval process stricter.